Floating roll end holders

ABSTRACT

A container includes a plurality of panels connected together at fold lines to extend at least partially around an interior space, including a top panel, a front panel, a bottom panel and a back panel. A plurality of end flaps, each end flap foldably connected to a respective one of the panels, are overlapped with one another to enclose an end of the interior space. One of the end flaps includes a roller flap foldably connected thereto, the roller flap extending inward into the interior space for suspending a roll of material thereon.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/767,618 filed on Nov.15, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 2. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to packaging, and more particularly toroll holders for dispensing rolled material such as foil, wrap material,and the like.

3. Description of Related Art

Traditional roll dispensers have plastic inserts on either end, facinginward. A roll of material such as foil, wrapping material, or the like,is suspended end to end between the plastic inserts. This allows theroll of material to roll relative to the dispenser so a user can removea desired amount of material from the dispenser. Typically the rest ofthe dispenser is made of paper board or the like, and the plasticinserts must be assembled and/or adhered into the dispenser.

The conventional techniques have been considered satisfactory for theirintended purpose. However, there is an ever present need for improvedrolled material dispensers. This disclosure provides a solution for thisneed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A container includes a plurality of panels connected together at foldlines to extend at least partially around an interior space, including atop panel, a front panel, a bottom panel and a back panel. A pluralityof end flaps, each end flap foldably connected to a respective one ofthe panels, are overlapped with one another to enclose an end of theinterior space. One of the end flaps includes a roller flap foldablyconnected thereto, the roller flap extending inward into the interiorspace for suspending a roll of material thereon.

The roller flap can include a plurality of panels forming a z-shape incross-section. The roller flap can include an adhesive panel adhered tothe bottom panel wherein corresponding edges of the adhesive panel andthe bottom panel are offset from one another by a gap. The roller flapcan include a top panel that is foldably connected to and is adhered toa respective end flap. The front panel can include a tuck panel. A frontclosure panel can be foldably attached to the bottom panel and iscooperative with the tuck panel to close or open the interior space.

The plurality of end flaps can include a bottom end flap foldablyconnected to the bottom panel, where the bottom end flap is the end flapthat includes the roller flap foldably connected thereto. A back endflap can be foldably connected to the back panel. A top end flap can befoldably connected to the top panel. A front end flap can be foldablyconnected to the front panel. A second plurality of end flaps can beincluded at an opposite end of the panels from the first plurality ofend flaps. Each end flap of the second plurality of end flaps can befoldably connected to a respective one of the panels, wherein the endflaps of the second plurality of end flaps are overlapped with oneanother to enclose an end of the interior space opposite the firstplurality of end flaps. A second plurality of end flaps can include abottom flap having a second roller flap foldably connected thereto, thesecond roller flap extending inward into the interior space forsuspending a roll of material thereon. A roll of material can besuspended on the first and second roller flaps in the interior space.

A blank for a container includes a plurality of panels and a pluralityof end flaps as described above.

These and other features of the systems and methods of the subjectdisclosure will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the artfrom the following detailed description of the preferred embodimentstaken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that those skilled in the art to which the subject disclosureappertains will readily understand how to make and use the devices andmethods of the subject disclosure without undue experimentation,preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein belowwith reference to certain figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a blank constructedin accordance with the present disclosure, showing the panels and endflaps;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank of FIG. 1, showing the roller flapsadhered for palletization;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 1 with the rollerpanel formed into a support for a roll of material;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 1, showing the blankformed into a dispenser suspending a roll of material in the interiorspace; and

FIG. 5 is perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 4, showing thedispenser open for dispensing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like referencenumerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subjectdisclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and notlimitation, a partial view of an exemplary embodiment of a blank inaccordance with the disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 and is designatedgenerally by reference character 100. Other embodiments of blanks inaccordance with the disclosure, or aspects thereof, are provided inFIGS. 2-5, as will be described. The systems and methods describedherein can be used to improve floating end roll containers.

The blank 100 for a container 101 (shown in FIG. 4) includes a pluralityof panels connected together at fold lines to extend at least partiallyaround an interior space 103 (identified in FIG. 3), including a toppanel 102 connected to a front panel 104 along a fold line 106, a bottompanel 108 connected to a back panel 110 along a fold line 112. The backpanel 110 is connected to the top panel 102 along fold line 114. Thefront panel 104 includes a frangible panel 116 connected thereto along aperforation line 118. A front closure panel 120 is foldably attached tothe bottom panel 108 along a fold line 122. The front closure panel 120includes a reinforcement panel 124 foldably connected thereto along afold line 126. With the reinforcement panel 124 adhered to the frontclosure panel 120 (as shown in FIGS. 3-4), the front closure panel 120is cooperative with the frangible panel 116 to close or open theinterior space 103. The five moon shaped areas 117 shown on the closurepanel 120 in FIG. 1 are glue dot areas, to ease the opening feature. Theoutlines of the five moon shaped areas 117 are partial cuts, so thatwhen a consumer pulls off the frangible panel 116 and breaks theperforation line 118, only half of the material detaches from panel 120for a clean look once open.

A plurality of end flaps, each end flap foldably connected to arespective one of the panels 102, 104, 108, 110, are configured to beoverlapped with one another to enclose an end of the interior space 103as shown in FIGS. 3-4. The plurality of end flaps includes a bottom endflap 128 foldably connected to the bottom panel 108 along a fold line130. A back end flap 132 is foldably connected to the back panel 110along a fold line 134. A top end flap 136 is foldably connected to thetop panel 102 along fold line 138. A front end flap 140 is foldablyconnected to the front panel 104 along the fold line 142. A frontclosure panel end flap 144 is foldably connected to the front closurepanel 120 along a fold line 146.

A second plurality of respective end flaps 148, 152, 156, 160, 164 isfoldably connected by respective fold lines 150, 154, 158, 162, 166 atan opposite end of the respective panels 108, 110, 102, 104, 120 fromthe first plurality of end flaps 128, 132, 136, 140, 144. The end flapsof the second plurality of end flaps 148, 152, 156, 160, 164 areultimately overlapped with one another to enclose an end of the interiorspace 103 opposite the first plurality of end flaps 128, 132, 136, 140,144.

Each of the bottom end flaps 128, 148 includes a respective roller flap168, 170 foldably connected thereto, the roller flap 168, 170 extendinginward into the interior space 103 when the container 101 is constructedas shown in FIG. 3-4 for suspending a roll 172 of material thereon. Eachroller flap 168, 170 includes a plurality of panels 174, 176, 78 forminga z-shape in cross-section when assembled as shown in FIG. 2. Eachroller flap 168, 170 includes an adhesive panel 180 that is adhered tothe bottom panel 108 when forming the container 101. The z-shapedcross-section of the panels 174, 176, 178 forms along fold lines 182,186, 188, 190 when erecting the container 101 because correspondingedges, i.e., fold lines 182, 150, of the adhesive panel 180 and thebottom panel 108 are offset from one another by a gap G identified inFIG. 2. Each roller flap 168, 170 includes a top panel 184 that isfoldably connected to and is adhered to a respective bottom end flap128, 148. The fold lines 186 can be pre-broken, e.g., in two places.

The reinforcement panel 124 can be folded along the fold line 126 andadhered to the front closure panel 120. The fold line 192 connectingeach roller flap 168, 170 to its respective bottom end flap 128, 148 canbe folded and the adhesive panel 180 of each roller flap 168, 170 can beadhered to the respective bottom end flap 128, 148. This results in thepalletized form of the blank 100 shown in FIG. 2. For example, the blank100 can be made in a first facility and processed into the palletizedform shown in FIG. 2.

Bulk blanks 100 can be palletized and shipped to a second facility, forexample, where the blanks are formed into containers 101 as follows. Thebottom panel 108 is folded into position along the fold line 112. Thebottom end flap 128 is folded into position along fold line 130. Thisforces the roller flap 168 into the z-shape. The closure panel 120 canbe folded into position along the fold line 126 and its end flap 144 canbe adhered to the bottom end flap 128. A roll 172 of material can beplaced in the interior space 103 and one end thereof can be suspended onthe roller flap 168. Then the bottom end flap 148, second roller flap170, and second end flap 164 can be positioned and adhered at the secondend of the container 101 in a similar manner as that described above,wherein the second end flap 164 is placed in the center of the roll 172sot that both ends of the roll 172 are suspended by the roller flaps168, 170 for easy dispensing of the rolled material from the container101 without the rolled material contacting the sides of the container101.

The top panel 102 can be folded into position along the fold line 114,and the front panel 104 can be folded into position along the fold line106 so that the respective end flaps 136, 140, and 156, 160 can befolded into position, overlapped and adhered to form a lid portion ofthe container 101. The frangible panel 116 can be adhered to an outersurface of the reinforcement panel 124. A consumer can tear away theperforation line 118, open the lid portion as shown in FIG. 5, andaccess the rolled material, and re-close the lid portion.

The methods and systems of the present disclosure, as described aboveand shown in the drawings, provide for floating roll end holders withsuperior properties including forming the roll holders from a commonblank and material with the dispenser. While the apparatus and methodsof the subject disclosure have been shown and described with referenceto preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the scope of the subject disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A container comprising: a plurality of panelsconnected together at fold lines to extend at least partially around aninterior space, including a top panel, a front panel, a bottom panel anda back panel; and a plurality of end flaps, each end flap foldablyconnected to a respective one of the panels, wherein the end flaps areoverlapped with one another to enclose an end of the interior space,wherein one of the end flaps includes a roller flap foldably connectedthereto, the roller flap extending inward into the interior space forsuspending a roll of material thereon.
 2. The container as recited inclaim 1, further comprising a roll of material suspended on the rollerflap in the interior space.
 3. The container as recited in claim 1,wherein the roller flap includes a plurality of panels forming a z-shapein cross-section.
 4. The container as recited in claim 1, wherein theroller flap includes an adhesive panel adhered to the bottom panelwherein corresponding edges of the adhesive panel and the bottom panelare offset from one another by a gap.
 5. The container as recited inclaim 1, wherein the roller flap includes a top panel that is foldablyconnected to and is adhered to a respective end flap.
 6. The containeras recited in claim 1, wherein the front panel includes a tuck panel. 7.The container as recited in claim 6, further comprising a front closurepanel foldably attached to the bottom panel and cooperative with thetuck panel to close or open the interior space.
 8. The container asrecited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of end flaps includes: abottom end flap foldably connected to the bottom panel, where the bottomend flap is the end flap that includes the roller flap foldablyconnected thereto; a back end flap foldably connected to the back panel;a top end flap foldably connected to the top panel; and a front end flapfoldably connected to the front panel.
 9. The container as recited inclaim 8, wherein the plurality of end flaps is a first plurality of endflaps and further comprising a second plurality of end flaps at anopposite end of the panels from the first plurality of end flaps,wherein each end flap of the second plurality of end flaps is foldablyconnected to a respective one of the panels, wherein the end flaps ofthe second plurality of end flaps are overlapped with one another toenclose an end of the interior space opposite the first plurality of endflaps.
 10. The container as recited in claim 9, wherein the roller flapis a first roller flap and wherein the second plurality of end flapsincludes a bottom flap having a second roller flap foldably connectedthereto, the second roller flap extending inward into the interior spacefor suspending a roll of material thereon.
 11. The container as recitedin claim 10, further comprising a roll of material suspended on thefirst and second roller flaps in the interior space.
 12. A blank for acontainer comprising: a plurality of panels connected together at foldlines configured for extending at least partially around an interiorspace, including a top panel, a front panel, a bottom panel and a backpanel; and a plurality of end flaps, each end flap foldably connected toa respective one of the panels, wherein the end flaps are configured tobe overlapped with one another to enclose an end of the interior space,wherein one of the end flaps includes a roller flap foldably connectedthereto, the roller flap configured to extend inward into the interiorspace for suspending a roll of material thereon.
 13. The blank asrecited in claim 12, wherein the roller flap includes a plurality ofpanels configured to form a z-shape in cross-section.
 14. The blank asrecited in claim 12, wherein the roller flap includes an adhesive paneladhered to the bottom panel wherein corresponding edges of the adhesivepanel and the bottom panel are offset from one another by a gap.
 15. Theblank as recited in claim 12, wherein the roller flap includes a toppanel that is foldably connected to and is adhered to a respective endflap.
 16. The blank as recited in claim 12, wherein the front panelincludes a tuck panel.
 17. The blank as recited in claim 16, furthercomprising a front closure panel foldably attached to the bottom paneland cooperative with the tuck panel to close or open the interior space.18. The blank as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of end flapsincludes: a bottom end flap foldably connected to the bottom panel,where the bottom end flap is the end flap that includes the roller flapfoldably connected thereto; a back end flap foldably connected to theback panel; a top end flap foldably connected to the top panel; and afront end flap foldably connected to the front panel.
 19. The blank asrecited in claim 18, wherein the plurality of end flaps is a firstplurality of end flaps and further comprising a second plurality of endflaps at an opposite end of the panels from the first plurality of endflaps, wherein each end flap of the second plurality of end flaps isfoldably connected to a respective one of the panels, wherein the endflaps of the second plurality of end flaps are configured to beoverlapped with one another to enclose an end of the interior spaceopposite the first plurality of end flaps.
 20. The blank as recited inclaim 19, wherein the roller flap is a first roller flap and wherein thesecond plurality of end flaps includes a bottom flap having a secondroller flap foldably connected thereto, the second roller flapconfigured to extend inward into the interior space for suspending aroll of material thereon.